A Brief History

Lions Municipal Golf Course was established in 1924 by members of the Lions Club who envisioned a modern, inclusive golf experience for all Austinites. “Muny” was the first public golf course in Austin and the first public golf course in the southern United States to racially integrate.

The history of the course begins in 1910, when Colonel George Washington Brackenridge donated to the University of Texas 503 acres of land along the Colorado River. Brackenridge, a university regent who had served for 24 years, had a clear purpose for his gift. He wanted UT to move its downtown campus to this lovely and much larger site along the Colorado River, which would come to be known as the Brackenridge Tract.

But the Colonel’s proposal was never realized, and on May 31, 1924, the university leased 141 acres of the tract to The Lions Club of Austin for the purpose of constructing a public golf course. The course was built, nine holes at a time, during 1924 and 1925. In 1936, the Lions Club transferred its lease to the City of Austin, after which the course became known as Lions Municipal and affectionately called “Muny”. The City of Austin has leased, operated, maintained, and enhanced the course for the past 82 years.

Renowned American golf course architect A.W. Tillinghast consulted at Lions Municipal in 1936. Funding and labor from the Works Progress Administration program led to course improvements and new buildings in 1937-39. Many notable golfers have played at Muny including World Golf Hall of Famers Sandra Haynie, Ben Hogan, Tom Kite, Bryon Nelson, Betsy Rawls, and Kathy Whitworth. Another World Golf Hall of Fame member, Ben Crenshaw, credits Muny as instrumental in his development. About 70 thousand rounds are played on the course each year.

To be sure, Lions Municipal Golf Course is an essential part of Austin’s golf legacy. But fascinating local history is just one relevant aspect of what Byron Nelson described in 1948 as “one of the finest courses in this part of the country.” For Muny has an even greater story to tell. It also has a place in the history of Texas and the history of America’s social and cultural development around race relations. In late 1950 – following the Supreme Court’s decision in Sweatt v. Painter but well before Brown vBoard of Education – Muny quietly became the first desegregated public golf course in the southern United States.The story started simply. In late 1950, two young African American boys walked on to the course and began playing. Still the Jim Crow era, in 1950 there were no integrated public golf courses south of the Mason Dixon line. The pro shop called City Hall to seek advice on how to handle the trespassing youth. After a quick discussion with other council members, Mayor Taylor Glass said, “Let them play”. This simple act – allowing a couple of African American kids to finish their round – would have lasting repercussions.

Quietly, Muny became the first integrated public golf course in the South. Thereafter, the course drew African American golfers from all over Texas, and beyond. Former heavyweight-boxing champion Joe Louis played Muny in those early days. Incredibly, Mr. Louis didn’t have many other options to play the game he loved. It would be several more years before most other southern cities had integrated public golf courses. Even in Austin, sadly, it would be another ten years before historic swimming hole Barton Springs would be available to African Americans.

Muny’s peaceful desegregation was years ahead of the slow curve of racial integration in the southern United States. The course’s story has been recognized as nationally significant history by The National Register of Historic Places and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Even with these and other recognitions, Muny’s future is uncertain. The University of Texas Board of Regents (as the owner of the Brackenridge Tract on which Muny is situated) has announced a plan to raze the course and develop the property. Public opposition to this plan has been significant, and the University has agreed to have discussions with the City of Austin to attempt to find ways to save the golf course.

Lions Municipal Golf Course has been part of Austin’s fabric since 1924, almost a century, and more than half of the city’s lifetime. Continued public support will be crucial to saving Muny. Ben Crenshaw agrees that “if one was to try to measure the worth of this wonderful place, and what it has meant to so many people, that worth would be incalculable.”